


Winter Wonderland

by AngelOfDeath10



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cabin Fic, F/M, Humor, Lemon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-25 00:21:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21108422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelOfDeath10/pseuds/AngelOfDeath10
Summary: In which Relena is on vacation at a remote location, Heero in tow, and an awkward situation arises.  Heero may be useful in a crisis, but not when the crisis is his own tension with the Vice Foreign Minister.





	Winter Wonderland

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published on the Blissful Ignorance forum which no longer exists. Written sometime around 2007 or earlier?
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Gundam Wing!

Heero managed a cumbersome load of equipment and supplies. There was enough here to last one person approximately four weeks with careful attention and parsimonious habits, but it was expected to last two people one week and he supposed it would have to do even if it seemed like overkill. Some of the items were useless wastes of space, such as marshmallows and hot chocolate, but Relena had insisted. She had some sort of an idealized picture in her mind at what a week off skiing and playing around in a mountain cabin should be like, and somehow that involved eating fluffy sugar balls and drinking faintly cocoa flavored power in water or milk. If she wanted quick energy or a hot drink, there were better options. Again her reasoning mystified him.

Of course, he wasn’t even supposed to be here, in some obscure cabin in Canada with the infamous Vice Foreign Minister. Her original bodyguard had been a female Preventer, but said girl had broken her arm two days ago and when it came down to it, no one was better than he was at guarding her. . . he always knew Sally was up to something when she tried to massage his ego like that. Yet it was true that he was the best, and there was no false pride or humility in that statement. It was simply fact. So here he was, and there she was, taking deep breaths and exhaling them in a cloud of escaped warmth.

“Isn’t it just beautiful Heero? And the air is so clear compared to the city!” She crinkled up her nose just a little as the cold bit at it from her too deep breaths. “Need help getting anything inside, I told you I’m not as weak as you seem to think I am.”

“I’ve got it.” He grabbed a heavy box of canned goods, mostly soups and fruit, and went inside. When coming through the door he nearly ran into Relena, who was struggling with one of her bags, plus one of his, and a box of pasta products. As usual she was trying to do too much and only just managing to pull it off. He tried to take his bag from her, as it was heaviest of the things she was carrying.

“No no no.” She swatted at his hand, or more accurately swung a bag at him, as he attempted to aid her. “I can do this, now get out of my way.” Their concentrated stares fought for a moment before Relena burst out laughing and dropped everything.

“Sorry Heero, I’m just so happy to be on vacation. It has been over a year since I’ve been on one.” She slung one bag onto her shoulder as Heero picked up the pasta that had scattered in the fall. “I suppose this is the first vacation you’ve had in a while too.”

After a moment he realized that it was both statement and question and hence she expected him to say something. “I don’t take vacations.” Relena’s eyebrow shot up and then her almost disturbingly happy smile toned down a notch.

“I guess this isn’t a vacation to you.” Her little sigh made him feel like he had said something wrong, but he had no idea what that could have been. All he did was tell the truth. Maybe she felt sorry for him.

“I think that the bedrooms are upstairs. Why don’t you bring in things and I’ll take them upstairs.” Her smile went up a few watts at this concession and she reveled in the feeling of being useful as she brought in stuff from the rented jeep they had brought everything in. As she struggled to take out the next bag, Heero familiarized himself with the surroundings:  
Open downstairs, kitchen against one wall, oven, microwave, refrigerator, sink, cupboards, a door to the left that went to a bathroom, another nearby door that went out back, 1 couch, 1 chair, 1 fireplace that contained a fireplace insert, stairs and three rooms on the second floor (two bedrooms and a bathroom).

A scowl deepened as he realized that it would be difficult to hide if anyone attacked. It would all be contingent on him keeping them out in the first place. Maybe there were a few things he could set up to. . .

“First load!” Relena’s cooing voice interrupted the thrust of his thoughts and he picked up the box of food that was topped off by a package of marshmallows. The scowl deepened.

The rest of the unpacking took very little time. They finished putting things away in the kitchen and in their rooms and came downstairs only to find that as the first flush of energy left them from running around, they noticed how very unpleasantly cold it was. After an inspection of the grounds, Heero returned with some wood and began to build a fire while Relena messed around with the thermostat.

“Is there enough wood?” Relena, enclosed in warm office buildings most of the year, was not accustomed to the cold that seemed to seep into the little cabin and turn it into an ice box. Heero, in a shirt and jeans, seemed impervious and she envied him. The fire he had been building helped, while the heating system warmed up after a long dormancy.

“Yes.” He had checked earlier, and there was a stack out back as tall as he was and about twice as long. “We won’t need much more.”

“You’re wrong; I think I want to have a fire every night.” She tried to burrow deeper into the chair.

“Why? The heater should be sufficient.” 

“You. . . confuse me sometimes Heero. Does everything have to have a reason with you?” She had that tired sound in her voice again.

He thought a little bit about her question and decided that it was rhetorical. Silence was his most perfect medium and instead both people concentrated on the fire. It had been a while since either of them had eaten and Relena got up and microwaved some soup. It was easy and warm. Surprisingly tired, after they finished with their respective activities and meals, the silence descended again but this time it was uncomfortable. Relena cleared her throat and Heero looked up at her from her curled position in the chair.

“It’s a lovely fire. And you got it burning so fast. When did you learn how to do that?” He couldn’t tell if she was honestly curious or if she was just trying to make conversation.

“It was a standard part of the training. I had to be prepared for whatever situation I might end up in. I can do it in subzero temperatures in the middle of the woods, this was no challenge.” She seemed downhearted at his answer, maybe apologetic for bringing up unpleasant memories from an earlier time in his life. To soften it the only way he knew how, he added, “Most people should know the basics. I could teach you.”

“I’d like that.” An idea seemed to strike her. “I bought some cards in town, when we were getting supplies, and I just threw them in my bag. Do you know any card games?” He shook his head. “Hm. Well, at the very least we could play Go Fish, or Gin or something like that.” She stopped herself from suggesting War along with all the other choices, since in light of her earlier question, any more reminders of the past might be a little bit insensitive. Worse, they could just make him all the more silent and this trip steadily miserable.

Heero simply nodded and she got the cards. Once he had a handle on some of the finer points of the rules he began winning with fair regularity, but Relena to her credit, didn’t seem to mind. It was just nice for her to be able to do something without thinking about work, and if it helped her break the horrible atmosphere that had landed between the two of them then she was that much more gratified. She ignored the first few yawns, but after a while it was impossible to deny the fact that she was tired.

“After this hand I’m turning in, Heero.” 

After she went to bed, she heard him coming up the stairs and wandering in and out of the bathroom. It was so strange to think of him right next to her, just one room over. In some ways it was disturbing. She didn’t know what to do when she found out that Sally and Une had asked Heero to replace Jan after her accident. On the one hand, Heero was the best person for the job because his record was impeccable and he had always been open about the fact that the reason he worked for the Preventors mostly had to do with his self assigned mission to protect her. . . but. . . Heero was one of the most stressful aspects of her miniscule personal life. Of all the things she could do, going on vacation with Heero Yuy was probably not high on her list of ‘relaxing activities’ and somehow she had a feeling it wouldn’t get any easier with time.

Even if he could distance himself from any sort of human contact or relationships it didn’t change the fact that she was attracted to him and always had deep emotional ties to him, which she could only assume were not reciprocated in the way she wanted them to be.

With this being the only thing on her mind as she tossed and turned to make a comfortable groove in the mattress, she had some trouble getting to sleep. What sleep she did get was fitful, whereas Heero slept solidly but lightly throughout the night.

What neither noticed was the snowstorm that hit silently in the evening and on towards the early morning. Similarly, they never saw when the outside lights blinked out, or felt the heat when it started up and then died out immediately afterwards.

All that Heero knew when he woke up was that he should not have been able to see his breath. Something had gone wrong.

*  
*  
*

She was in an icy cave, staring at crystals of every size and color. As she touched it, it seemed to steal all the warmth from her body. With a shiver, Relena curled in on herself in an attempt to get back some fleeting sense of heat. Water dripped down from the ceiling, tapping her shoulder. It was too cold and she just couldn’t get away from it, as if it were some creative natural water torture.

“Relena.”

Oh good. Now the walls were talking. There was no denying that this was a dream. As the beauty of the crystalline cavern faded and was replaced with Heero’s scowling face, Relena did what any sensible person on vacation would do on being awakened too early: she ignored him and dug herself deeper into the covers.

He tapped her shoulder again, lightly but insistently. “Relena, you have to get up. Something’s not right.”

The lump under the blanket replied to his solemn pronouncement. “Unless it’s a terrorist attack, I don’t want to hear it Heero. Let me sleep. And go turn up the heat while you’re at it. I’m shivering even under these covers.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t what?” The sleepy tone was fading a little from Relena’s voice.

“Turn up the heat.”

“Why not?” Now she sounded both more awake and more cross.

He paused as if choosing the best way to break the news to her. “There’s no electricity. The blizzard last night covered everything. From what I have ascertained from the car radio, power is down most places and it could be up to three days before it comes back on.” Relena had sat up while he talked, her eyebrows rising as she considered this new turn of events.

“So why don’t you tell me what you think we should do?” He was the survival expert, maybe this wasn’t as bad as he made it sound.

“The roads are blocked so the car is useless. The nearest town is thirty-eight miles away. I could get there easily on my own but. . .” He actually looked uncomfortable.

“But you doubt I would make it, right?” At his nod, she sighed. “Well, you’re probably right at that.” She prompted him to continue with a wave of her hand.

“So as it stands, we have enough wood for fire and if it is needed there is an axe out back with which I could procure more. Using that and the fireplace insert there should be no problem to get food prepared and water purified.” He looked at her again, a concerned frown making him fierce. “The pipes are frozen, so we’ll just boil snow.”

“You think there will be enough?” Her tone was wry. At his blank stare, she added. “It was a joke, Heero.”

She rubbed her temple with one hand that was already starting to feel a little numb. They were supposed to drive into town today to find a guide who was going to take them skiing. Suddenly, the brilliant plan to avoid being called away to work again by not taking any sort of communication device seemed foolhardy. Of course, she was with Heero, and he could manage this situation. She trusted him. With a smile she really looked at him for the first time since he had woken her up and noted how he was sitting there in a shirt and boxers, the smile held but with a slight sense of horror she realized that she herself was still in her nightgown. A very sheer nightgown. And she was very noticeably cold. Trying to move slowly, she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Why don’t you go get dressed and start a fire. I will start moving blankets and things downstairs, and we’ll just make the best of this. Sound acceptable?” He nodded and left, shutting her door behind him.

With a sigh that turned into a puff of white before her, she wondered how he’d feel if she suggested body heat as a good way to keep away the chill. He’d probably just say she should put on another coat.

Dressing didn’t take long, as she was encouraged to go quickly by the temperature of the room, and even with the three layers of clothing she had on her body was refusing to generate heat like it should have been. With a brief yawn, Relena almost walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face when she recalled that the pipes were frozen. The prospect of three days without showering was intimidating. The idea of using a washcloth in front of the fireplace was only slightly less horrifying. She was only too aware that she was a creature of modern comforts.

When Heero walked in, looking like he had just chopped the logs into more manageable chunks judging from his flushed face and somewhat heavier breathing, Relena got the sneaking suspicion that he actually liked this. He was the sort of person that bloomed in a crisis, just like she did, but unfortunately this wasn’t the brand of crisis she could really help with. One did not negotiate with weather.

“I’ll get the blankets and things soon. What are the odds I could get a cup of coffee within the next hour?”

“Bad.” 

“Well, then I guess I’ll start rifling through things and determining how I can brush my teeth without cryogenically freezing my head. I trust you have everything covered on this end.” He just grunted.

Fabulous. The day was going just peachy so far. She was putting on yet another coat so that she could go outside and brush her teeth. Going to the bathroom would probably be a similarly exciting adventure. Maybe next she’d get attacked by a bear. Of course Heero would come to her rescue, but she wasn’t sure how skilled he was at bear wrestling. Trust Heero to know all about it anyway, if anyone. 

After she had essentially stripped the beds and brought everything downstairs, Relena wandered outside to brush her teeth as she had planned. It was a world of blinding white outside. The car was only recognizable as a lump in the driveway and if she hadn’t remembered where it had been parked she would have assumed it was just a snow drift with a hole dug out of one side. There was no road anymore, just trees and mountains and a clear blue sky. At least if there had been some clouds there would have been some warmth in the atmosphere, but seeing as clouds would most likely just signal more snow, she supposed she should be grateful for the dry and clear day.

Despite knowing she was setting herself up for catching a cold, she still persisted in washing her face primarily using snow. The clean feeling compensated for the fact that she could have sworn she no longer had a nose. After finishing her ablutions, such as they were, she entered the cabin and was greeted with a lively fire and Heero handing her a pot.

“Fill it up with snow. I’ll get out some pasta.” His tone was more harsh than usual. Relena revised her earlier opinion. He seemed to be bothered by this situation as well.

*  
*  
*

Heero cracked his knuckles as he contemplated what was undoubtedly a winning hand for rummy. Like the night before, they played, but before where he had assumed it was just a quick way to kill time, there was a desperate feeling filling up the silence. Darkness had descended so quickly, and all they had was a couple flashlights (which they were conserving) and the light of the fire. Light leapt across Relena’s face, as her hands that peeked out of her wrap of blankets moved cards about. She looked surprisingly beautiful, almost like some pagan goddess, and Heero’s feeling of dread became more certain as that stray thought solidified in his mind.

The problem was that these thoughts, or ones similar to them, had been occurring with fair regularity ever since they had spoken earlier this evening. It had been a short conversation, with even Relena being uncharacteristically sharp. Basically, they had decided that they would both sleep downstairs in front of the fire. 

Together.

Sort of.

When Relena had noticed how dark it was getting, she asked if bringing down the mattresses as well might be a good idea. The fire was where all the warmth was coming from and it would have been a shame to sleep in a cold room when it would burn and radiate at least a little more heat. Heero said that they might as well pile all the blankets together and just share. He almost slapped himself afterwards for being so stupid as Relena’s eyes had taken on the ‘deer in headlights’ look. Laughing off her moment of apprehension, she had said something about how desperate times, etc. etc. and they had gone back to playing cards.

That was mere hours ago, but with each passing moment the discomfort was rising. They would have to sleep next to one another, albeit probably with a barrier of pillows placed in between, but he knew that even so it would be indecent by the rules she had grown up with. He would be sleeping with Relena. The thought sent a shiver up his spine unrelated to the frosty temperatures they were barely avoiding.

There were even better ways of staying warm. . .

“Heero?” Relena’s voice broke his thought pattern.

“Hn?”

“You just slapped your forehead, so I assumed something was wrong.” Even if he were a talkative person he knew it would not be wise to mention what he had just been thinking of.

“I’m just tired.” Alarms, red lights, bright ‘no U turn’ signs, and various other mental signals informed him that this was not the way to help him separate from the dangers of the situation.

“I’ll go get the. . .”

“Let me do it.” He leapt to his feet before she could even finish her sentence and practically sprinted upstairs. As he began to haul out one mattress from a room, he ran smack into Relena. Heero turned on her with a look of pure betrayal. She edged away from him.

“I just wanted to get my nightclothes. I can’t fall asleep in what I have on now.” It wasn’t fair of him to take out his personal frustration on her, and he knew it. Relena gave him an askew glance, questions playing behind her eyes, as she took out a satiny looking something and walked back downstairs. Once she left he struggled to get the mattress out of the door. Apparently it was slightly too big to get through the doorframe, but after much bending and mental cursing he managed to shove it out there and down the steps. It was large enough for two people and he thought it would be a waste of effort to get the other one out.

Of course, when he saw Relena standing, solitary, by the window while clad in her shining nightgown he almost considered just running to town. He had the motivation and the energy. He could do it. That image was branded into his brain like an intangible carrot dangled in front of him. So beautiful.

He must. . . not. . . touch.

“The moon is so pretty out here. The stars too. I always forget how much the city lights obscure.” She turned around, leaning her elbows behind her on the sill. “Come see it.”

If Heero had been a religious man he might have asked for strength, but as it was all he could do was curse the twist of fate that had caused the original and intended bodyguard to break an arm. Of course, maybe he should be thanking them, but that was far less acceptable. This was a job, nothing more, and he couldn’t allow his personal feelings to mix themselves in so long as Relena was counting on him to do the best job he could. Emotions made things needlessly complex.

“Help me make the bed.” With a sad look from Relena at her ignored invitation, the two of them prepared each layer over the mattress. Heero noted that Relena took no special precautions to demarcate her side. How was this all going to work out?

When Heero went upstairs to finally change, he considered just wearing his jeans and a shirt to bed but decided that acting naturally would be best and simply joined her downstairs again in his usual boxers. The fire cast shadows over a lump in the middle of the bed, and Heero assumed she had prepared everything to her satisfaction. That took a load off of his mind, and yet a keening disappointment shot through him.

He climbed beneath the covers and slid over only to find that the barrier that he thought Relena had erected was the woman herself. As his legs briefly tangled with her slender ones, he felt her arms twine about his arm and Heero calmly noted how his mind briefly shut down.

“Mmm. ‘M cold.” Relena clutched his arm to what could only be her breasts and he tried to resist the urge to pull away. He was pretty sure his blood was approaching the boiling point as one of her legs hooked over his and he felt her thigh become a little more exposed from the nightgown from the friction.

“Relena.” She seemed perfectly relaxed and he envied her that oblivious happiness. There was a noncommittal mumble from her direction. Maybe she was mostly asleep. “Relena!” He gritted it out as she let go of his arm and splayed one hand across his bare chest.

“What?” She sounded so far away, so innocent, and he was sure she had no idea what she was doing to his body. Any sharp words he was going to discourage her with died when he saw the distant look in her heavy eyes that reflected the dying fire embers. It was like staring into the ocean at night. How could she be both angelic and yet about as effective a temptress as he had ever imagined?

“Forget it.” He could concentrate on other things. Math was a good way to remove himself from this moment, something simple. Heero got halfway through a fairly easy long division problem in his head when she shifted in her sleep, nails softly dragging over his chest, and with a hiss he found he couldn’t remember what he had been thinking. How did one multiply again?

Of course, he still had his self control. She hadn’t pushed him to the edge, yet, and he had faith that he could resist that plunge.

Then he remembered that unless he could come up with a non suspicious sounding excuse there would probably be at least one more night of this.

It was previously inconceivable, but even Heero Yuy’s confidence could fail.

*  
*  
*

Relena woke up feeling fabulous. It was some of the best sleep she had ever had. Cold air brushed her arms as she stretched, and the lingering warmth next to her informed her that her bedmate had only recently gotten up. At the last second, when she had been setting up the bed last night, she had decided that it was best to just make the body heat issue a moot point and simply not ask him if he approved or not. It was an executive decision and she would stand by it.

The door opened and shut, and Relena swiveled her head to take in the sight of a disheveled and somewhat blue looking Heero. He looked damp and he wasn’t dressed very properly for having just come from outside, but he seemed oblivious as he brought in a stack of wood and began fiddling with the ashes of last night’s fire.

“Heero. You don’t look very good. Did you just forget your coat?”

“No.” Wood made loud clunking noises as he continued his activity. He seemed not to want to talk about it, so she moved on to her next concern.

“Could you boil a couple of pots of water for me? Actually, three.” As she stood she dragged a blanket with her to wrap around her body.

“We don’t need to boil water for any of the breakfast food.” He turned to look at her and she noted that his dark blue eyes were surrounded by bloodshot white. You wouldn’t think he was tired, though, from the way he moved so briskly.

“I know; I want to wash my hair and clean off my body. I am not going one more day without cleaning myself. I could just sponge myself off in front of the fire and I wouldn’t get too cold, right?” Relena thought she saw Heero flinch. “Is that not ok with you?”

“It’s fine. I’ll get the pots set up. Just fiddle with the fire and don’t let it go out.” He stood up and grabbed a pot while Relena began to protest.

“Just let me get a coat on, or at least put a coat on yourself. I can get it.” She jogged over and grabbed his arm, which was icy under her hands. Heero pulled away from her, quickly, and gave her a peculiar look.

“I’ll do it.” When he used that tone of voice, she knew it was beyond arguing now.

As Relena shrugged the sleep from her brain, she began to think of reasons why he was acting so strangely. It wasn’t the power loss, as that would not phase him. If there was any sort of threat to her safety he would have informed her and given her instructions of some sort. That left the possibility she wanted to accept but couldn’t take as definite: her. Maybe sleeping next to her was enough to disturb him like this. 

Then again, maybe it wasn’t a positive thing. She would come out and ask him about it, but even her vocal maneuvering couldn’t get him to disclose information like that either way. Something in her hinted that he didn’t think it was a bad thing or else he would have extracted himself from her last night when obviously he had not. Maybe the time had come, after these past few years of holding back, to make a move. A blush flashed across her only momentarily as she thought of herself seducing Heero Yuy, but she felt like now was the time. They were alone and together with no interruptions threatening. It was as ideal as she could hope for.

Now a bath definitely seemed like a necessity.

*  
*  
*

It was evening and he still had no evasion planned. He knew he didn’t have much time left because she was yawning every so often and checking her watch fairly frequently. Whenever it seemed like Relena was about to look over he would pretend to be reading the book she had handed him after lunch, some mystery that didn’t particularly interest him, but he was sure it wasn’t a convincing ruse. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw her smile in a suspicious manner. Senses that had aided him on the battlefield screamed at him now that something was amiss. 

However, he had been ignoring those very same senses as early as this morning. After he had woken up, he had rushed his overheated and tired body outside and rubbed himself down with snow. The needling feeling of his flesh being assailed by the cold had helped him take his mind off of the figure he had abandoned beneath the covers.

Then there was the ‘bath’ she had taken. He was halfway convinced that she had said she was done and let him back in well before she had finished getting dressed because she either wanted to torment him, or she simply didn’t consider him (or herself) a sexual being. All that golden skin and dark gold hair. . . and she seemed to take hours toweling that hair dry while clad in just another small towel. He thought about breathing a sigh of relief, or perhaps regret, when she had gotten dressed and spent the rest of the day bundled in blankets or coats.

If he had been a real gentleman, he was vaguely aware, he would have gone right back outside and continued to chop wood when he saw her nearly naked. Or he would have gone upstairs, but instead he had set himself down next to her by the fire and let his eyes dart over to steal glimpses of her body. He told himself that this was just the lure of the forbidden, and that’s why it excited him so, but Relena had always had a peculiar effect on him long before she was a politician and beyond his approach.

“I’m going to brush my teeth, Heero.” Her book landed on the couch, face down, as she stood up and moved all the blankets away from her. “Then I think I’m going to turn in. Are you going to be up much longer?”

His mouth had gone dry. “No.” Was there anything he could say that could stay his sentence? It wouldn’t be entirely out of character for him to just sleep with all his coats on and pretend to guard the door. But even that would prompt questions. Worse, it would lead to a discussion of some sort about how he should sleep where it was warmest. . . and any sort of discussion with Relena would mean he had lost. Those honeyed lips of hers always seemed to know just the words to use to talk him into things. 

Honeyed lips.

Heero shook his head a little and started to say multiplication tables under his breath. He might as well just face another sleepless night with stoic acceptance. There were times that he had gone without sleep for longer periods, and they had been much more painful and trying than this was. Of course, this was painful in a different way but he knew he would get through it and then life would return to normal. Right?

If not then he would make it return to normal. Hormones, emotions, and feelings were all extraneous. To do the best job he could protecting the woman he loved he would need to shove it all aside after tonight.

Something seemed wrong about what he had just thought, but wisely he chose not to examine what he had told himself mentally. Though it seemed like he had said something significant, perhaps. . .

No matter, he went upstairs to change since Relena had usurped the downstairs bathroom. This time he wore a shirt too, as if it would provide some sort of extra defense. He greeted a sight similar to last night on arriving back downstairs. Slightly more cautiously he slid under the blankets, making sure to put a lot of distance between him and Relena.

“Heero?” All he could see was the back of her head. “I’m still cold.”

“Would you like a coat?” He knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep with a coat on, he was just stalling.

“No.” He form edged closer to his with a wiggle. “Do you mind?”

He grunted in response and let her make her way over, himself not moving. Relena’s hand spread across his chest like it did the night before, but as his arm jerked briefly it encountered skin instead of clothing. She wasn’t wearing a nightgown. Was she wearing anything? The thought escaped into his mind before he could clamp down on it. Relena’s hand rubbed its way in circles down his chest and onto his belly. Instead of finding it relaxing he found that his whole body was stiffening. His *whole* body. Before she discovered the extent of his embarrassment, he stopped her hand with his own.

“What are you doing?” he found it was a struggle to talk.

“Improving blood circulation. I was cold; I guess I assumed you would be too.” She sounded so very flippant, it was hard to suspect her of doing this on purpose, but evidence was stacking against her.

One of her legs locked with his like last night and then promptly began to move up and down his with such delicious friction that his arousal began to become painful as he tried to deny himself any sort of acknowledgement of the sensation.

“What are you dong now?” He almost choked on the words.

“The hair on your legs is itchy. It was easier than shifting around and scratching it.” 

Just say it Heero. Say it, and if she denies it then you can just go back to feeling stupid and lecherous. You’re already there so how much worse could it get? His brain was probably not functioning very well any more. The logical part was shorting at least.

“Relena?” She made an adorable little purring affirmative. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Doing what?” Her hand slid under his shirt now and continued to rub his stomach, when she dipped a little past the hem beneath his boxers, that’s when he jerked back and fell off the mattress. “Heero! Are you ok? What’s the matter?” She sat up, and in the firelight it was very apparent that at the very least she was not wearing a shirt or bra. The sight of those puckered nipples and her pert breasts riveted him. He found words after a moment of gasping like a fish.

“I think I should sleep upstairs.”

Relena’s eyes glittered for a moment and he thought she might start crying. It was awkward enough for him to try to hide the tent in his boxers, and he really didn’t need her to start crying and thus compound the awful feeling in his gut. She stood up, her beautiful soft body clad only in satin panties, hair swirling around her shoulders, and pointed at him, anger as plainly exposed from him to see as her body.

“Then I will lie out here all night, alone, and tomorrow I am walking to town come daybreak no matter how far away it is. I simply refuse to spend another day in your presence you sexy, infuriating, insufferable, inconsiderate man!” She climbed back beneath the covers while Heero weighed his options. Sexy?

He climbed back under the covers, not nearing the still heap that was Relena. Finally, he spoke after some consideration. If this was a mistake, he had to make it. “Now I think *I’m* getting cold.” 

The heap stirred, head and hair disappeared beneath the covers, and he watched as a lump glided over to him. Slightly cold hands raised up his shirt without a word and cool lips pressed against his belly. The hands pulled at his shirt, trying to take it off, and he arched his back to aid her. Relena rose as she took off the shirt and as she pulled it over his head she found herself straddling his chest and nearly face to face.

“Feel any warmer now?” 

This was more than fun, Relena thought, watching him squirm as he continued to fight his instincts even after he had given her approval. So far as she was concerned, she had been the aggressor and now if he wanted any more then he could very well do something. If he did happen to chicken out, then she would accept this small victory and relish the prospect of tormenting him more later on.

When Heero at last came to a solution in his tortured mind to do something, it was aggressive and somewhat startling. In a deft maneuver he flipped them around so that he was the one above her, and then took to opportunity to bend down and kiss her. The kiss seemed to be rather tame, since he wasn’t trying anything more than just nipping and sucking at her lips so Relena upped the ante and slithered her tongue out. Everything about the moment was intoxicating to her from Heero’s lips moving down to her neck to his throbbing arousal pressing into her thigh through a thin layer of cloth. 

His hands searched her body, lightly outlined her arms, stomach and hips but circling around her breasts as if her were stalking prey with his fingers. When she felt she was going to scream if he didn’t touch her, she just grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast squeezing her hand over his and feeling him go still as she guided his fingers over her taut nipple. Heero’s eyes, partially hooded, looked up to meet hers and she shivered as he proceeded to hold her eyes as if she were a dangerous animal he was trying to approach, never breaking contact as he slid down a little further so that he could remove their hands and replace his mouth over her breast.

Accordingly, Relena found that she wanted to do the same to him and she grabbed his upper arm at first to get his attention and then in a reflexive squeeze as his tongue teased her other nipple to pucker. A half breathed moan followed as one of his still wandering hands cupped her in between her legs and maddeningly stayed there motionless as if he were trying to tease her.

“Heero. . .” she choked out.

He licked his lips as he faced her this time and she wondered if he had ever looked so erotic and masculine to her before, even in her fantasies. Those thoughts aside, she didn’t want to be the only one writhing and being reduced to a puddle of feeling. She nearly ripped off her panties and threw them across the room. It took a couple tugs but she got him to roll to the side completely only to proceed to tug at his boxers so he would get the idea.

“Is this what you want Relena?” He looked so serious and. . . confused. As if the question pained him because of the chance of her saying no.

“Yes, but you know we don’t have any. . . protection. I’m ready for all possible consequences. I think the more important question is if you want this and all it might entail.” Now it was her turn to hold her breath as he searched the ceiling for an answer.

Heero looked down at his hands, then smiled before looking over at Relena. He took off his last scrap of clothing and then leaned over to kiss her, slowly, taking his time to savor her taste. When he pulled back, her peculiar smile worried him. Then as she slipped under the covers and took his length into her hand he didn’t have any time to think much of anything as her tongue swirled over the tip. Feeling this good had to be illegal.

When she closed her lips around his shaft, Relena wondered at the feeling of hardness and yet also of softness that she couldn’t quite reconcile to anything she had ever placed in her mouth before. Her tongue moved over him, and she was rewarded by having his hands ball into fists in her hair. Relena finally relinquished her position, only to find that now Heero’s hands were more insistently probing her body, almost immediately going for the moist blond curls below.

At first his fingers were clumsy and unsure of how to proceed, but with hisses and purrs she guided him into a steady rhythm. The delicious warmth was pooling in her stomach and the tension just starting to make her shake a little with anticipation when she stopped his hand. His look of concentration almost made her laugh, but she stifled it lest she break the mood. Instead, she grabbed his member and guided the head to her entrance. Closing her eyes she gave a brief nod, and he plunged in past her barrier, and stretched her muscles out somewhat painfully as well.

When the pain had subsided to a mere twinge and Heero had tried a few strokes, she noted how the sweat was standing out on his face and a look of almost rapturous pain adorned his cut features. He was trying so hard, but she had a feeling that perhaps she wouldn’t be able to carry on more than a couple minutes. It was ok, and she purposefully squeezed her muscles to drive him that much further over the edge. After a few passes of this he exhaled sharply as if he had been hit and tightly wrapped his arms about her, as if he wanted to meld their skin together. She was glad for the closeness even as her body complained about not being likewise satisfied.

Heero moved sweaty bangs out of his face to regard Relena, then with a brief nod he placed a finger where he had previously to make her pant and plead. Even if this development was welcome, it was also surprising.

“Why?” Relena gasped as he quickly built her tension up again.

“I want to take care of the person I love.” He spoke softly into her ear before her cry of release echoed in the cavernous room.

*  
*  
*

The snow looked visibly depleted, and Heero found himself feeling melancholy about that. They would probably have power by the evening, even if he had no plans to change the sleeping arrangements quite yet. This morning his tiredness was well earned and he was sure that when Relena woke up she would be feeling just as good. It was like a sickness, really, this happiness. It made him want to do strange things, like whistle, or yell. Useless noise. Secondarily, he wanted to run in and wake her up so that she would smile at him. Weird. He would have to look into this feeling some more, to make sure it didn’t cripple his effectiveness as her bodyguard. If it did, and he was taken away from her, then he knew he’d have to. . . what? Kidnap her? Quarantine her? Marry her? He might have to marry her anyway, after last night. The thought was scary but, oddly, good.

He was staring with fixated concentration at the small pile of logs beneath their little shelter that kept the majority of them usably dry, and hit the ground out of pure instinct as a snowball smacked the side of the wood and burst into the smear of slush.

Getting up, a little damp from the melting snow, with nerves alive and insisting he must ready himself for battle, Heero crossly looked at Relena standing in the doorway. Rather more accurately she was doubled over and laughing in the doorway. Heero wasn’t used to being laughed at, and his disgruntlement multiplied.

“It isn’t warranted for you to launch unprovoked attacks.” He shook his hair and snow and water were flung from it. Relena just laughed harder, and gathered up more snow around her feet into a ball to continue her ‘unprovoked attack’.

The exchange of fire was brief and decisive. It consisted of seven more shots, the first five being Relena’s (only the last of which hit) and the final two being Heero’s. After having offered forth ample warning that she was asking for retaliation, Heero leapt from his strategic defensive position behind the wood pile to fire his own opening shot, which he aimed at the least vital spot he could target. While the snowball hit her bottom as she turned and ducked, Relena gave a shriek and ran indoors. She slammed the door behind her fast enough to block Heero’s last shot.

She thought she was safe, when Heero threw open the door and marched in, demanding the cessation of future hostilities and her unconditional surrender. Relena, naturally, refused to give in to such unreasonable requests. He noted that she had no other means by which to challenge him. 

Relena kissed him.

He had to admire the way she always managed to turn situations around for herself, because this was definitely a field in which she had a slight advantage. This whole area of experience was new to him, but he was determined to be a fast learner. Relena allowed Heero to slide the coat from her shoulders, having just tossed it on over his purloined t-shirt before her ballistic assault. His hands were cold against her skin, and she backed away from him and tossed herself onto the couch. For a second, Heero stood there with her jacket in hand, and then let it fall to the ground as he stalked towards her.

The uncertainty of his thoughts outside had been banished by her invitation, and he got rid of his own coat before lying on top of Relena on the couch. They were still a moment, as Relena stroked his hair and felt how it was still a little cold and damp. When Heero did begin to move, he noted with an odd surge of pride the kiss mark on the side of her neck. It looked like an angry bruise, but she didn’t seem to notice so he figured that it must not be causing her any pain. If the snow melted enough for them to go out tomorrow, she might think about wearing a turtleneck or a scarf.

Or she could let everyone see it. That option made him happier, but he knew it was less wise.

“Heero.”

“Mm.” He was more concerned with giving her a matching mark on the other side of her neck than with what she seemed to want to tell him. Her skin was a little salty, and his tongue laved at her slowly. But she was getting insistent, and pushed at his shoulders a little harder.

“No, Heero, look!” She pointed to the ceiling.

Above them, at some time, the lights had come to life. They hadn’t noticed before most likely because the windows allowed in enough light to give perfectly acceptable visibility, but since Relena had been on her back looking up, she was in a position to notice them.

It was with great reluctance that Heero stood up and they went about checking to see that things were working properly. He was reasonably sure that the cabin and its pipes would be warm enough so that everything would be working by evening. Just in case, he still brought in more wood and made a fire to provide them with warmth until things had powered up fully. Relena heated up some milk on the stove and offered him some hot chocolate after he had finished. His first reaction was to pull her into a fierce hug (nearly forcing her to spill said mug of liquid) and they enjoyed the rest of the day in increasing comfort.

Relena wondered how she was supposed to treat this, now that she had gotten what she had desired. Heero was outside scraping snow and ice from the car since he expected them to be ready to go to town by tomorrow. The prospect of eating in a restaurant and no longer from cans was appealing. Her cooking had never been great due to lack of practice, and Heero’s attempts at making meals had been serviceable but little else. Neither of them had had much practice in general with living in a normal home, and it seemed like their cooking was the most telling evidence of that fact. Such a basic skill, and yet they had only a rudimentary grasp of it.

Where the days had dragged a bit previously, in Relena’s opinion, now she thought that a day’s time was not enough. When the vacation ended would this just end up being a fluke? Could she realistically hope to maintain a relationship with her bodyguard? It was pessimism, not cold, that made her shiver.

Bah! She could do whatever she wanted to. You never knew what could work until you tried it. The tabloids, her advisors, and her overprotective family be damned! This wasn’t the smartest of political moves, but so long as Heero was willing, then she would be as well. In fact, now that he had shown some weakness regarding her she wasn’t sure if she could ever let him go even if he got cold feet. Relena suddenly felt as if it was very important to make this clear.

She marched outside to find Heero putting chains on the tires of the car. When he looked up at her, she had her hands on her hips and a glint in her eye that boded trouble. Had he done something without knowing it to anger her? That made no sense.

“This wasn’t just a. . . vacation stress release thing.”

He got up from his crouch by the car. “I didn’t think it was.”

“Then why did, or as such what was the. . . I mean reasons. We’ve known one another for so long and I would never have thought. . . that is, you are just so good at being you. . .” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Why couldn’t she be articulate about this? She was a professional politician!

Heero, who was canny enough about people and who had a talent for conserving words, decided to break in. 

“I don’t know how it will work either. All we can do is keep going.” 

And he turned back to putting a chain on the left front tire. 

Relena hugged her arms to herself to ward away the chill air. A coat might have been a good idea, but she had just stormed out so quickly and without thought that it hadn’t occurred to her. As she wandered back in, she realized how she was probably worrying about nothing.

The future would take care of itself. Right now she should just concentrate on being in the present. And as she made her way into the slowly heating cabin, her only concern was if there was enough milk to make some more hot chocolate. Water was never as satisfying.


End file.
